remember

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “remember” in English is translated in Mairasi as “it is (or: place it) in your liver’s crack” (source: Enggavoter 2004) and in Noongar as barrang-dwangka, literally “ear-hold” (source: Portions of the Holy Bible in the Nyunga language of Australia, 2018).

In Kalmyk, there is no equivalent to “remember,” so the translation there is “don’t forget.” (Source: David Clark in The Bible Translator 2015, p. 117ff. )

See also forget, wisdom, God remembered Noah and Seat of the Mind / Seat of Emotions.

Translation commentary on Sirach 28:6

Remember the end of your life, and cease from enmity, remember destruction and death, and be true to the commandments: Good News Translation reorders this verse, so that the first and third clauses (Remember the end of your life … remember destruction and death) are combined, and the second and fourth clauses (cease from enmity … be true to the commandments) are placed together as positive commands. “Think about it! Some day you will die, and your body will decay” in Good News Translation is a good translation; it combines destruction and death into the one verb “decay.” Cease from enmity may also be expressed as “stop being angry at people.” “Live by the Lord’s commands” in Good News Translation translates be true to the commandments, but we may also simply translate “obey the Lord” or “do what the Lord commands.” We could translate this whole verse as follows:

• Think of it! Someday you will die, and your body will decay. So stop being angry at people, and do what the Lord commands.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Sirach. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.